Hideaway
by Shadow Star.EXE
Summary: FE6. Written so no knowledge about the game is needed to enjoy it. The first female armor knight of Ostia recounts on why she became a knight and the trials she faced. Implied FE7 pairing of SerraxOswin. Not a good summary, I know...story's better.


_**Hideaway  
**__-Written by: CeleBaby20-_

Some say this suit of armor is a sign of dedication for your country. It's powerful, honorable and your second skin. Acquiring to wear it is no simple feat, which is why I can understand women don't want to wear it.

I'm not one of those women.

My name is Wendy. I'm the first female Ostian armor knight in the history of Lycia. I went through all the training to wear this suit and I'm very proud of it. I walked over mountains with many pounds strapped to my back. I swam through rivers infested with dangerous creatures to prove my bravery and will. I did all the lance training and now I hold one of those lances in my hands, along with the pink armor I wear. Ah, if only Father could see me...I'm sure he would have been proud.

My father was a very famous knight in Lycia, serving alongside Lord Hector. Perhaps that's why I decided to take up this suit of armor. My father was an inspiration. My brother, Bors, looks exactly like my father and, as a little girl, I enjoyed the many knighting games we played together. When he went off for his knighting apprenticeship, I watched him with pride and tears in my eyes.

And I knew, exactly...that's the moment I wanted to follow him.

I would do all the tedious training in order to wear the suit of my country. I would strike down foes with my lance and watch them bleed. I would even cut my hair shorter so my helmet would fit easily on my head.

Mother would have spun in her grave if she knew. I took after her in looks, with the same pink hair and delicate build. I didn't want to follow in her footsteps as a cleric of Saint Elimine. Holding a staff and being a medic did not suit me at all. I wanted to cause injury to those enemies of ours, not pray for God's grace.

Mother was also very fussy about her looks as well. She tried to get me to be just as fussy and threw a tantrum when I would come inside from playing, all dirty and caked with mud. She always said young girls should keep themselves clean, pretty and should stay away from dirt. Father always said the same thing, but as time went on, he could see I wouldn't have any of that. For that was something else I inherited from my mother: her sheer stubborn will. He became more accepting of the knight games Bors and I played, even playing with us and showing us what really happens when a knight fights for his country.

Never once did I reveal my dream to become a knight to Mother and Father. It's far too late now...Father had passed away from a bad heart and Mother grew ill soon after. Bors and I vowed to always stay together and protect each other, but I couldn't shake the feeling he only meant he would protect me. After Lady Lilina sent him to Pherae to accompany Lord Roy, I decided to become a knight as well. Sir Barth became my teacher, and I was grateful for that. Most of the other knights would have rejected the idea of a girl wearing a suit of armor. Father himself said that young men had a hard time taking on the challenges and they were all "tiny men made of straw".

But I was persistent, and Barth agreed to train me. He said that he wouldn't go easy on me, just became I'm female and I told him I was fine with that. I told him I was my father's daughter and Bors' sister and I was just as worthy of being a knight as either of them were. Thanks to him believing in me, my delicate build vanished, replaced by a slightly more muscular and bulky build. I watched the men drop out of the training like flies in heat, and I went on.

And then...the day before the rebellion in Ostia...I was knighted into Lady Lilina's service. It was the single greatest moment of my life when she touched my shoulders with my lance. I had stood up in front of a room full of men, those who succeeded and those who failed, and I became the first female armor knight ever.

That should make my name be etched in memory and history forever, shouldn't it? Funny enough, that's not the reason I chose this path.

This suit of armor serves as my second skin and my very own hideaway from the world. I'm not only a walking fortress of steel skin and steel nerve, I use this armor to hide my woman figure. The only thing I can't hide is my girlish face.

Yet, I can still hide. My enemies won't know I'm a girl until they're on the verge of death and they look into my eyes. I won't ever succumb to the ways a woman is expected to lead, obedient and a cleaner. Women also get raped everyday, if they aren't careful. This armor protects me from that fate.

As of this moment, I stand with the Alliance Army alongside my brother. Lord Hector may be dead and gone, but Lady Lilina and Lord Roy are still here and alive. We must protect them and ensure that they do not follow the same fate of being destroyed on the field of battle.

Bern must be stopped. Ostia may have fallen because of the rebellion, but I've sworn my life to it and I will do everything within my power to bring it back.

And when Bern looks into my eyes...they'll remember that it was me, a girl, who had helped fell their soldiers.

_**&-&-&-&**_

**Wendy is a character I admire in Fuuin no Tsurugi. She is, indeed, the only girl in the Knight class, and she's one of my favourite characters. Wikipedia also used to say that she and her brother MIGHT be Serra and Oswin's children. It wouldn't surprise me; Wendy does look like Serra with the same pointed chin and hair colour (although Wendy's hair is slightly darker). Bors resembles Oswin, with a big chin and green hair. (I know Oswin's hair doesn't look green, but it might have been faded from age and fatigue.)**

**This was written so no real knowledge of Fire Emblem 6 was needed. If you didn't know Hector dies in this game, it's inscribed when he gets Armads: he who wields the Thunder Axe won't die peacefully in a bed, but rather on the field of battle. That's what happened.**

**And yes, I am currently playing this game on a ROM on my computer. It's fantastic: if you can, I hope you try it out for yourself. **

**-CeleBaby20**


End file.
